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Quilboar (also spelled quillboar)[4] are a race of boar-like humanoids native to the continent of Kalimdor. They have long since battled for the rights of their lands against the orcs since their immigration from the Eastern Kingdoms. Many people simply call them "boar-men" or "pig-men".[5]

Quilboar are primitive, resilient, fearless creatures who inhabit the central Barrens of Kalimdor in the labyrinthine maze of thorns called Razorfen Downs. After the War of the Ancients and the subsequent Sundering of the world, the quilboars' surroundings became increasingly hostile. Forced to fight for food and precious land against both tauren and centaur, they developed into aggressive and efficient warriors.

Though well able to handle themselves in a one-on-one battle, they are not above striking from ambush or even sacrificing themselves to destroy even one of their many enemies.[2]

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Ten thousand years ago, during the War of the Ancients, the mighty demigod Agamaggan came forth to battle the Burning Legion. Though the colossal boar fell in combat, his actions helped save Azeroth from ruin. Yet over time, in the areas where his blood fell, massive thorn-ridden vines sprouted from the earth. The quilboar, believed to be the mortal offspring of the mighty god, came to occupy these regions and hold them sacred. The heart of these thorn-colonies was known as the "Razorfen".

After the War of the Ancients and the subsequent Great Sundering of the world, the quilboar surroundings became increasingly hostile. Forced to fight for food and precious land against both tauren and centaur, they developed into aggressive and efficient warriors.

After centuries of aggression against the tauren, the centaur, and any other species that stood in their way, they no longer have a land to call their own unless you count those in the confined, maze-like warrens of Razorfen Downs and Kraul.

They are terrorists and thugs living on the fringes of other societies, claiming slivers of bloodstained territory from weaker settlers. In quilboar society, strength is highly valued. Female children and sickly male children are often abandoned, left to fend for themselves or to die at the claws of beasts.

Family is important, but only as a source of more warriors to drive against the enemies. Almost from birth, young quilboar are indoctrinated with teachings of hatred for other sapient species. The quilboar hold no distinction between politics and religion. Their ultimate leaders are also their religious leaders. Bands are always led by shaman. Smaller groups are led by the strongest warrior, often referred to as a brute.

Only rarely will more than one quilboar warband be found in a single geographic area, unless under the leadership of a particularly charismatic shaman or other strong leader. There is no known quilboar king, though those few tribes large enough to claim distinct names do have shamans of great power and influence who act as tribal leaders. The laws that govern the quilboar are simple.[2]

For the tribe to survive, the quilboar must breed and the females must bear and protect worthy offspring. Each member has his or her role in the tribal structure.[3] As a whole, the quilboar are a male-dominated species. Even though rarely seen by other species, their females must constantly keep their heads, faces, and quills covered. Otherwise, they are allowed no other ornamentation and can be killed on sight for touching a weapon (although this is not always the case).[2] Females feel no resentment over this fact, and, indeed, the males do not see themselves as superior. Quilboar males grow taller, heavier, and stronger than females. A typical quilboar male grows to 5 1/2 feet tall and weighs 220 pounds; a typical female grows to 5 feet tall and weighs 150 pounds. For this reason, only males take up the path of warrior.

Females quilboar possess such strong tribal instincts that most do not even desire to follow the males' path. Occasionally, a female decides that her place is in battle, if the woman can prove herself this is fine. In fact, these women are respected.[6] On occasion, a female child displays such unnatural strength that the shaman deems her a man. She then trains as a warrior and lives in all ways like a male, even taking female mates. Tribal legend holds that such unions have occasionally produced an exceptional quilboar warrior (though no scholar has confirmed the tale), so there is little or no stigma attached to such situations.[3] Among shamans there is no gender bias; many women walk the path of shaman. Shamans are so respected that most hold positions of power in the tribe, and many in certain tribes lead.[6]

Women and children must defer to adult males. Adult males must defer to any quilboar they cannot defeat in personal combat. All must defer to a shaman. Punishment for failing to defer properly can be quite severe. The loss of a hand or an eye is common, though death is not unheard of, particularly for females or males who can no longer hold their own in combat. Quilboar punishments are intended purely to cull the weak. Rather than die on a sick bed or as a result of punishment, aging warriors will often hurl themselves against enemies they know they cannot defeat.[2]

A ferocious, suicidally brave race with an alien mentality and a slavish devotion to their tribe, quilboar defend their territory with a zeal bordering on fanaticism. They care only for ensuring the survival of their species, to the point where weaker quilboar gladly sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others. Outsiders see quilboar as stupid, vicious, pig-like predators. In truth, quilboar possess a rigid social structure and deeply law-abiding personalities. The only laws they value, however, are their own. Quilboar are born with an instinctive drive to preserve their species. Quilboar always want more territory so that they may increase the size of their tribe; for this reason, they act like bullies, constantly threatening and harassing their neighbors.

Due to the rigors of their society, quilboar offspring grow up quickly. A quilboar reaches maturity almost as soon as he can walk and hold a spear, usually about three years after birth. Quilboar mothers take no care to coddle their children, so sickly infants usually die. Quilboar do not form family units; the females compete for the attention of the strongest males, and the entire tribe tends to the infants. To form the best possible tribe, quilboar squash internal jealousies and rivalries harshly. All must cooperate to ensure the tribe’s well-being.

Weak, crippled, and elderly quilboar who feel that they can no longer aid the tribe seek death. Quilboar have no need to execute their infirm — the elderly destroy themselves out of a desire to aid the tribe. Most seek death in battle, but when doing so is not an option, they take their own lives by wandering into the wilderness, hoping to slay at least one beast that may have posed some threat to the tribe. Quilboar do not frown upon this ritual form of suicide; rather, the tribe views it as an act of bravery and devotion.

In fact, quilboar tribes often hold festive ceremonies when a member announces his intention of “taking the walk,” in honor of the coming sacrifice. Females almost always commit ritual suicide once past childbearing age. Quilboar believe that their afterlife holds security and comfort for their race. They enter a realm where all the land belongs to the quilboar and no enemies seek to destroy them. All fight with strength and bravery, battling monsters and prey for amusement. Quilboar revere Agamaggan — an ancient, boar-like Eternal associated with the night elves — believing him to be the progenitor of their race. Where his blood spilled, it is told, patches of enormous briars sprouted to serve as homes to the quilboar. These dens still exist.

Quilboar shaman teach that the law of the wild is the standard by which all tribal members must live — survival of the fittest. When a predator culls the weak from the herd, it is cause for celebration. Those that die do so gladly, knowing that even in death they have contributed to the success of the tribe. Despite their low intelligence, quilboar possess good common sense. At least one quilboar every generation walks the path of the shaman. Quilboar never seek to become shaman, but a few are awarded the right to study with their elders when visited by dreams of former shaman now deceased. Shaman usually rise to positions of power and leadership within their tribes. Most often it is males that receive the dream-vision that sets them on the shaman’s path, although female shaman are not uncommon.[7]

Quilboar shamans possess the abilities to combat or cause disease, to control nature, and to summon spirit boars. According to quilboar shamans, the existence of sickness is caused by the intrusion of other species on the rightful lands of the quilboar. They teach that until the invaders are driven out and the quilboar have returned to their promised lands, suffering can be alleviated through a heroic death. The afterlife for quilboar martyrs is filled with wonders and pleasures beyond imagining, according to shamanistic teachings.[2]

Quilboar are ruthless in battle. Their warriors battle with little fear for their personal safety, knowing that, if they die, their death helps the rest of their tribe grow. To others, quilboar may seem suicidal, blindly charging into battle and willingly throwing themselves into the thickest fray to defend their tribes. To the quilboar, death is just another part of life, unwelcome but not entirely feared.

Quilboar fight best in packs. Their quick charges and frenzied battle cries lead enemies to believe the quilboar are reckless and disorganized, but in reality they use solid tactics. Quilboar flank whenever possible and make use of the aid of another action to take down particularly difficult opponents. They never retreat, seeing such an action as a sign of weakness.[8]

Quilboar are ferocious pack fighters. Unlike the swarm tactics of murlocs, quilboar fight in rigid packs, surrounding enemies and expertly coordinating attacks to bring down the toughest foes. The death of a packmate does not weaken the pack’s power; in fact, the death bolsters the remaining packmates, urging them into greater displays of skill and cunning. Quilboar believe that even in death, their packmates fight alongside the living. Outsiders witnessing a pack battle find this idea easy to believe.

Quilboar shaman, known as thornweavers, act as commanders in battle, healing and inspiring their packs. Every pack has its own thornweaver, and larger packs often boast more than one. Unlike other races, quilboar healers fly into melee alongside their brethren, reveling in the thrill of battle. Thornweavers also create healing wards to keep their packs going, and bolster their forces with summoned spirits, usually boars. Quilboar thornweavers gain additional power when witnessing the death of an ally; the fallen quilboar’s spirit infuses the thornweaver's spells as well as his strength.

Quilboar never willingly retreat, and fight until they vanquish their foes or die. This single-mindedness breeds fear into the pack’s enemies. Those who have fought quilboar before know that they don’t stop fighting until everything in their path is dead.[9]

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials.*

There seems to be some kind of connection between harpies and quilboars because, in many of the quilboars' territories, there are rocks with pictures of harpies or some other flying humanoid beings painted in red.